rpgfandomcom-20200222-history
Reydovan Empire
The Imperial Reydovan Empire is a fictional empire set in the Star Trek online roleplaying universe. Created by long-time Star Trek fan Joshua Underwood in February 2001, it has undergone many incarnations, and those who have read some of Underwood's fan fiction or seen him roleplay out his stories know that this is the one he focuses on the most. His trademark character in all Reydovan roleplays is a futuristic version of himself, who he claims received genetic treatment to give him incredible longevity. Some of the names - particularly that of the character who served as the first Emperor, which he called "Kiran Joshmaul" - "might sound silly, but everyone usually just takes it as I write it out," Underwood explains. "I also usually piece things together as I go." Symbol of the Empire Underwood uses the "University of Planet" emblem from the game Alpha Centauri, created by the well-known game designer Sid Meier. He believes this symbol best represents the scientist's nature of Emperor Joshmaul. 12 Member Systems The Reydovan Empire has twelve primary member systems, and forty-eight planets. Bradley System: Primary border system (Klingon Empire). Eight member planets. Carmel System: Capital: Carmel Prime. Three member planets. Iago System: Capital: Iago I. Five member planets. Korolev System: Primary border system (UFP). Capital: Korolev Prime. One member planet. MacDonald System: Primary center of dilithium mining. Capital: Kyrador (MacDonald IV). Six member planets. Myst System: Center of culture. Capital: Releeshahn. Nine member planets. Occult System: Primary center of olivium ore mining. Capital: Belle Terre. One member planet. Reydovan System: Center of the Empire. Capital: Reydovan Prime. Four member planets. Sirrus/Achenar System: Binary star system. Capital: Haven I. Four member planets. Sugia System: Capital: Sugilar (Sugia III). Two member planets. Tiberius System: Site of the primary maximum security prison in the Empire. Capital: Tiberius Prime. Four member planets. Tyrus System: Capital: Tyrus IV. One member planet. Note: Myst and Occult systems come from two different sources. The name Myst is from the popular game series of the same name (the capital planet, Releeshahn, is named for the Age book you must recover in Myst III: Exile) created by Rand and Robyn Miller in the 1990s. Underwood has been a fan of these games since the original Myst was released; he has even speculated bringing Atrus - Rand Miller's character from the games - into the Star Trek world as a potential crossover. The second system, Occult, is from the "New Earth" book series. Underwood thought that having it be far outside Federation space - which, technically, it is - would be best to keep within the spirit of the books, considering that the trip was a very long one for the Starship Enterprise and the 60,000 colonists who were taken there in 2272. Neighbors and Relations The Reydovan Empire shares borders with the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the Nyberite Alliance, and the Tholian Assembly. There have been no official contacts between the Empire and the Tholians or the Nyberites; it is assumed that relations are neutral. Calendar System and Holidays The Reydovan Empire uses a 365-day calendar, much like the Earth Standard calendar. However, while the Earth Standard year begins on January 1, the Reydovan year begins on October 12 - the day after the Empire was founded. There are only three major holidays in the Empire: Independence Day, Victory Day and Christmas. October 11, the last official day of the Reydovan year, is Independence Day, the day the Reydovan Empire was established. Christmas Day, December 25, is the 85th day on the Reydovan calendar, and is the only Earth holiday still celebrated in the Empire. Victory Day, August 11 (day 304) marks the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Korolev, which ended the war with the United Federation of Planets. Another day of note is not an official holiday, but is still celebrated by the people of the Empire. It is the birthday of the Emperor, Kiran Joshmaul, April 11 (day 192 of the Reydovan year). The numbers after February 28 on the Reydovan calendar (day 150) may vary due to leap years; for instance, in a leap year, Kiran Joshmaul's birthday would be the 193rd day, Victory Day would be the 305th, and Independence Day would be the 366th. Government The Imperial government is split into two branches, the executive branch (the Chancellery) and the legislative branch (the Imperial Parliament). The Chancellery The Imperial Chancellor is the head of the Imperial government. The Chancellor is appointed by the Emperor and will hold that office until he either dies, resigns, or is impeached. The Deputy Chancellor is appointed by the Chancellor and confirmed by the Imperial Parliament. He serves as the head of the Imperial Parliament, who may only vote in Parliament to break ties, and also serves as the Empire's chief justice (see the section on the Imperial Parliament). In addition to the Chancellor himself, the Imperial Chancellery consists of the Chancellor's ministers: *State *Defense *Treasury *Justice *Health *Research and Development *Security and Internal Affairs *Agriculture *Colonial Development The Imperial Parliament The Imperial Parliament consists of two houses: the House of the People's Voice and the Council of Nobles. Along with the Deputy Chancellor, the heads of the two houses - the President of the House of the People's Voice and the High Councillor of the Council of Nobles - serve as the Supreme Court of the Reydovan Empire. The House of the People's Voice The House of the People's Voice is made up of 240 members, five from each of the Reydovan Empire's 48 worlds, including Reydovan Prime itself. It is roughly equivalent to the British House of Commons. The House is led by a President chosen by the other representatives for unlimited six-year terms until either he or she is defeated for re-election or leaves office. The Council of Nobles The Council of Nobles is made up of 122 members, two nobles from each of Reydovan Prime's 61 provinces. It is roughly equivalent to the British House of Lords. The nobles remain a part of the Council until their death or removal by their family. The Council is headed by the High Councillor, a noble elected by a conclave of his or her peers. Military The Imperial military consists of three branches - the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Marine Corps, and the Imperial Guard. Together, they are known as the Reydovan Military Body, and it is led by the Imperial Warmaster. The current Imperial Warmaster is Marshal of the Reydovan Empire Matthew Russell of the Imperial Guard. The Imperial Navy The Imperial Navy is the equivalent to the Federation Starfleet and the Klingon Defense Forces. They are responsible for the defense of the Imperial spacelanes. To this end, they are equipped with the best technology in the Empire. Their ships are often large, heavily armed and heavily shielded. From 2296 to 2321, the Imperial Navy often relied on fighters and surplus Federation starships in order to bolster their numbers. They eventually began designing and building their own vessels using incredible vessel replication technology in the 2340s. The Grand Fleet of the Chancellor Created by Underwood himself in 2375, the Grand Fleet of the Chancellor is among the elite in the Imperial Navy. It is even better equipped and better armed than the Imperial Navy itself. The flagship of the Grand Fleet of the Chancellor is the new battleship Absolution. It takes a great captain to prove himself capable of serving in the Chancellor's personal fleet, and while the numbers are few they are among the greatest captains in the Empire. The Imperial Marine Corps The Imperial Marine Corps consists of the Empire's ground forces and assault troopers. Some would say it is more of an Imperial Army, seeing as this Marine Corps does not fall under the Imperial Navy whatsoever. It has been leaderless since 2372. The Imperial Guard Created in 2321, the Imperial Guard is the military police force of the Empire, and more akin to an army than a guard force. Like the Imperial Navy, they are given the best tools to carry out their duties. Many Imperial Navy assault troops and Imperial Marines aspire to become a part of this elite brotherhood. When it was created, it was commanded by the Chancellor until the appointment of General Alexander Britanov, who became the first Marshal of the Reydovan Empire. Upon his exile in 2376, he was replaced by Matthew Russell. The Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard is the most elite sect of Imperial Guards, especially intended for the defense of the Emperor and his Chancellor. The Emperor only takes two hundred total Royal Guards, many of them stationed in the Imperial Palace or the Parliament Hall in Montagne Noire. Homeworld Defense Reydovan Homeworld Defense is the division of Imperial Guards assigned to the defense of the Imperial capital of Reydovan Prime. An elite among elites, assignment to Homeworld Defense is among the highest honors an Imperial Guard can enjoy - save being named a soldier in the Royal Guard. The current commander of Homeworld Defense is undecided. Imperial Houses There are many Imperial houses, but four stand out. They are the great families of the Empire, founded with the coronation of Emperor Joshmaul: *House of Joshmaul, the first Imperial House *House of Neill, current holder of the Warmaster's post *House of Underwood, the former holder of the Chancellery *House of Devaneaux, the Imperial House-in-exile How the Empire Came About: OOC A "Reydovan Sector" was mentioned in the novelization for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; it was the sector where the U.S.S. Excelsior was cataloging gaseous anomalies. Underwood thought the name might sound interesting for an empire of his own in one of his roleplaying games, and thus the Reydovan Empire was created sometime in February of 2001. How the Empire Came About: IC The Reydovan Empire was founded on October 11, 2296, with the coronation of Emperor Kiran Joshmaul I by his friend Joshua Underwood in Imperial City, Reydovan Prime. Joshmaul and Underwood: The Founders of the Empire Two long-lived humans of the Eugenics War era, Kiran Joshmaul and Joshua Underwood were once influential and long-standing Starfleet admirals; Joshmaul was a member of the Starfleet General Staff, while Underwood had taken over for James T. Kirk as the head of Starfleet Operations. In the last year of his Starfleet service, Joshmaul had been a vocal critic of the decision making of Starfleet and the Federation Council since the end of the disasterous Kznti Incursion in 2272, and the revelation of Starfleet running covert operations against the Kzin well before the Incursion began. It became so inflamed that Joshmaul was joined by at least nine star systems, including the Reydovan system, in declaring open rebellion. The Council could not allow a civil war within the Federation and so arrested Joshmaul before he could open hostilities. On March 17, 2276, Joshmaul was tried for his rebellious actions. His service was the only thing that kept him from a penal colony, and so he was sentenced to rehabilitation. His friend Joshua Underwood was forced to take him to the rehab colony. However, as Underwood's ship, the Mary D. Anderson, passed by Io, it vanished without a trace. It was revealed decades later that a temporal anomaly had swallowed the Anderson and its entire crew. The Anderson was trapped in the temporal rift for two decades, before emerging in the Reydovan system on August 10, 2296. They were found by scout ships from Reydovan Prime and taken before the independent council that now governed the planet. The word spread to the twelve major systems in the sector and the Conclave of Serenia was convened the following day. The Reydovan leaders brought to Joshmaul's attention the "blatantly illegal" treaty signed five years earlier (under coercion) that kept the Reydovan systems from confederating into their own independent state; while Joshmaul was hesitant, the leaders seemed willing to break it. They discussed how a new empire would be forged, and once all the terms were made, Joshmaul agreed to become the Reydovan Empire's first monarch. The Conclave adjourned on October 10, 2296. The following day, Joshmaul was crowned the first Emperor of the Reydovan Empire. Once in power, Emperor Joshmaul appointed Joshua Underwood as commander of the Imperial Navy and Daniel Longstreet as the head of the Imperial Marine Corps (the Imperial Army was not established until 2370), and created the Imperial Guard to serve as the police force for the Empire, and also as praetorians to the Emperor himself. He solidified his position quickly, appointing ministers and a council of the planetary leaders to serve as his advisors. Underwood remained his chief advisor. He would need all of Underwood's expertise two years later, when the Federation discovered that Joshmaul had returned - and had violated a very detailed treaty... War with the Federation In 2298, the Federation Starfleet was vastly depleted as a result of the Khitomer Accords; the Fleet had mostly disarmed over the years, particularly along the Klingon Neutral Zone. They decided to build more outposts in "neutral" space, and dispatched Admiral Daniel Neill and the U.S.S. Independence to build one at Reydovan Prime. Upon entering the Korolev Expanse, the Independence was ambushed by Underwood and his Imperial Navy. The Federation starship was captured and its commander brought before the Emperor. Neill realized that in order to avoid execution, he would have to swear loyalty to Joshmaul - and that is exactly what he did. The Federation Council went into an uproar. It was divided on the "Reydovan issue" as it stood; a good deal of the Council voted to recognize the Empire as a legitimate state; the remainder, including the reigning President, Ra-ghoratrei of Efros(who had signed the Khitomer Accords five years earlier), were opposed to this move. It would place a "hostile power" right on the border between the Federation and the Klingons. The issue would be decided in battle, and for three years, the Reydovan Empire and the Federation went back and forth, but gained little ground. Finally, tiring of the pointless bloodshed, Ra-ghoratrei contacted Grand Admiral Underwood, the supreme commander of the Emperor's forces, to discuss a treaty. A cease-fire was called on April 7, 2301. The Federation and Reydovan officials met on Korolev Prime and decided on the terms of the treaty that would end the pointless conflict. The Treaty of Korolev in its final form was officially signed on August 11, 2301, defining the border between the Reydovan Empire and the Federation, as well as securing Joshmaul's legitimacy as Emperor. The Calm Before the Storm Joshmaul ruled peacefully as Emperor for twenty years after the end of the war, but he soon realized that the details of running the government might be too much for one man alone. In 2321, he appointed Grand Admiral Underwood as the first Imperial Chancellor, to handle all the administrative details of the government. Through that time period, Joshmaul managed to keep the peace, but by 2348, things were starting to turn awry with the Sha'kurian Duchies, and soon it degenerated into open war. In mid-2349, an assault was needed, and a commander was needed to lead it. The Emperor asked for a man capable of leading smaller forces head on into the larger Sha'kurian force. One hand went up - 48-year-old Major General Jeremiah Neill, who had been promoted twice over the course of the war, and was known as a "reckless son-of-a-bitch", as Daniel Longstreet put it. (Ironically enough, Neill's nephew, Jonathan Ross, was referred to quite similarly by the same man, twenty-five years later.) With Neill leading a small force into that battle, they managed to destroy their opponents with few losses, due to the hit-and-run tactics that Neill favored. The war ended in 2350 in a decisive Imperial victory. Under Construction Notable Reydovans *Dr. Kiran Joshmaul, MD/CX (Joshmaul I) (1960-) - "Joshmaul the Great", First Emperor of the Reydovan Empire (2296-2375), Chief of Starfleet Operations (2375-2391), Federation Councillor from Earth (2406-present) *Grand Admiral Kieran Elias Devaneaux (Kieran I) (2355-2406) - Second Emperor of the Reydovan Empire (2376-2406), Supreme Commander of the Reydovan Military Body (2375-2376) *Kieran Elias Devaneaux, Jr. (Kieran II) (2376-) - Third Emperor of the Reydovan Empire (2406-present) *Grand Admiral Dr. Joshua Wardell Underwood, Ed.D, Ph.D, MD/CX (1987-) - First Chancellor of the Reydovan Empire (2321-2380), commander-in-chief of the Imperial Navy (2296-2380), Deputy Chief of Starfleet Operations (2384-2391) *The Right Honorable Alexander Edward Ross (2310-2403) - Second Chancellor of the Reydovan Empire (2380-2403), Governor-General of Reydovan Prime 2351-2380, father of Jonathan Ross *Marshal of the Reydovan Empire Jeremiah Robert Neill (2301-) - Third Chancellor of the Reydovan Empire September-October 2406, Count of the Easthaven Province 2371-2406, commander of the Starfleet Marine Corps 2375-2385, Defense Minister 2385-present, Supreme Commander of the Reydovan Military Body 2391-2401 *Dr. August Johannes von Spee, Ph.D., MD/CX (2353-) - Fourth Chancellor of the Reydovan Empire 2406-present, Governor-General of Reydovan Prime 2406-present, leader of the Black Rose party, Baron of Icecrown Province *Marshal Ethan Allen Neill (2293-), Elder brother of Jeremiah, Count of the Easthaven Province, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Marine Corps 2364-2371, leader of the Harbingers mercenary group 2371-present *Marshal of the Reydovan Empire Alexander Petrovich Britanov (2290-2376) - Regent Lord of the Montagne Noire Province and commander of the Imperial Guard until his death *Marshal of the Reydovan Empire Matthew Ridgway Russell (2297-2385) - Regent Lord of the Montagne Noire Province, Supreme Commander of the Reydovan Military Body 2376-2385, commander of the Imperial Guard and Minister of Defense *Lieutenant Colonel Ross Joseph Neill (Ret.) (2328-) - Jeremiah's eldest son *Commanding General Daniel James Longstreet (2195-2375?) - former commander of the Imperial Marine Corps, commander of the Starfleet Marine Corps until his apparent death at the Battle of Cardassia *Major General Jonathan Franklin Ross (Ret.) (2347-) - former captain in the Imperial Marine Corps, now senior field commander of Starfleet Marine Corps *General Artimus Lucanus Devaneaux (Artimus I) (2328-2376) - "Artimus the Defiler", Usurper to the Throne of the Reydovan Empire (2375-2376), former Imperial Marine Corps officer; killed during the invasion of Reydovan Prime *Grand Admiral Ian Erasmus Taylor (2332-2405) - Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Navy 2387-2405, Commander of the Grand Fleet of the Chancellor 2376-2387 *'Rear Admiral Charles Darwin Tomwood' (2337-2377) - Minister of State *'General Vladimir Ilych Tscholivosky' (Ret.) (2293-2380), Grand Duke and titular head of House Tscholivosky, retired Imperial Guard officer, member of the Council of Nobles under Chancellor Joshua Underwood *'General Gavriil Vladimirovich Tscholivosky' (2328-2376), Grand Duke of the Caymarnian Province, former Chancellor under Artimus Devaneaux, head of the Council of Nobles under Chancellor Joshua Underwood, head of the Caymarnian Militia of the Imperial Guard *'General David Robert Highland' (2320-2376) commander of Reydovan Homeworld Defense under Kiran Joshmaul and Joshua Underwood, then joined Artimus Devaneaux as commander of his fleet; killed during the invasion of Reydovan Prime *'Grand Admiral Henry Frederick Tyers (Ret.)' (2324-), Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Navy 2380-2387, Baron of the New Avalon Province, former commander of Reydovan Homeworld Defense under Artimus Devaneaux, member of the Council of Nobles *'Lady Anastasia Mikhailovna Britanov-Devaneaux' (2328-2376) - Alexander Britanov's granddaughter (from his son Mikhail), ex-wife of Artimus Devaneaux, Duchess Regent and titular head of House Devaneaux, Imperial Ambassador to the united Federation of Planets Other Articles Reydovan military ranks --Joshmaul 06:30, 1 Jan 2006 (UTC) Category:Reydovan Empire